Rescued by Love(12)

“It didn’t take much for us to figure it out.” Lizzie smiled, bringing out her dimples. “We’re happy for you!”

“Great. Why don’t we hire a skywriter in case anyone missed the announcement,” Addy said sarcastically. She couldn’t even enjoy that Lizzie said they were happy for her. She was too worried about being so hard on Jake about keeping his mouth shut, and not only did she tell Gabriella, but now all the girls knew. Which means his brothers do, too.

“Should I tell you the worst part?” Gabriella asked. “And I swear to you, I had no idea about any of this until two minutes ago.”

“There’s a worst part?” Her stomach sank.

“It’s not so bad. We did great damage control,” Siena said.

“The worst part needed damage control?” Addy reached for Gabriella’s hand.

“My aunts caught wind of it,” Gabriella said softly.

“Ohmygod. Everyone knows?” Addy closed her eyes, wishing she was a crier, because it would feel a lot better to shed tears than it would to bang her head against the wall.

“Don’t worry,” Siena assured her. “We cornered them before word spread too far. I think.”

“What does that mean? That maybe if I’m lucky Gabriella’s grandfather doesn’t know? No wonder they haven’t spoken to me today.”

“They’re trying to behave,” Lizzie explained. “Gabby’s mother threatened that if they said anything about it she would tell their husbands what they really do when they get their hair done.”

Addy looked to Gabriella for an explanation.

“When my cousin Eva moved back to take over the salon, apparently she brought her knowledge of Pinterest with her. They sit around with spotty Internet connections gawking at silver foxes.”

Addy laughed. “Seriously? That was enough to keep them quiet?”

“Only on Elpitha.” Gabriella shook her head. “Eva said she makes sure to only show them PG-rated boards, but still.”

“Hope they don’t catch wind of my Cocks I Want to Rock Tumblr page.”

They all laughed.

“Wait.” Siena grabbed Addy’s arm. “Do you really have that?”

“I can’t go on Tumblr,” Lizzie said. “Everything you search ends up being naked people and sex, sex, sex.”

“Why do you think Addy likes it?” Gabby teased.

“Maybe you should distribute that site address,” Sally said shyly. All eyes turned toward her. “What? It’s no secret that I haven’t been with a guy since I lost my husband.” Her husband had been killed in a skiing accident several years earlier, leaving her to raise Rusty, her teenage son, alone.

Lizzie hugged her. “Blue told me about everything you and your son have been through. I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. It was a long time ago. I can hardly believe how many years have passed.” Sally smiled, but Addy could see it was forced. “I’m okay, really. But I wasn’t kidding about that site address. You know, until I’m ready to climb back on that horse.”

“I think Gage’s saddle is ready and waiting,” Siena said, and immediately clamped her mouth closed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay. I know…” Sally nibbled on her lower lip. “That situation is complicated. He and Rusty are close, and there’s a lot to consider.”

“You could try stalking, like Addy did. That seems to have paid off for her,” Gabriella teased.

“Stalking?” Addy snapped.

“When I first met Duke, remember? You were checking out Duke and you got sidetracked. I think you said you spent twelve hours checking out his ‘hot brother Jake’ on Facebook.”

“Oh God, Gab! I did!” She’d spent hours looking through pictures of Jake caught midclimb as he scaled a mountain, or with an arm slung over one of his brother’s shoulders, or tending to a campfire, or a hundred other outdoor activities. In every picture he was paying attention to something or someone else, as if the actual photographs meant little compared to the task or person he was with.

“But I’m not a creepy stalker or anything. You know that,” she insisted.

“We know,” the girls said in unison.

“You two have been flirting for months,” Siena said. “I was surprised you two didn’t catch flames that first time we all met for drinks. Remember, Gabriella? I was afraid we’d have to call in Cash’s fire department to break out their hoses.”

“I remember Jake wanting to break out his hose,” Addy mumbled, and they all laughed. “Now that my sex life is out on the table, can we forget about it, please?”

“Do you want to forget it?” Lizzie asked. “Because it took me and Blue a year to get together and when I finally gave myself permission to go out with him, that was it. I was a total goner, and there was no turning back.”

“That’s a good point,” Sally said. “There are some things that aren’t meant to be taken back.”

“I’m not wired to be a goner over anyone,” Addy insisted, although as she said it, she was no longer sure how she was wired.

“Everyone’s wired for love.” Lizzie tucked her dark hair behind her ear, and her eyes turned serious. “I didn’t think I had a chance at love since I hosted the Naked Baker webcast. I mean, what guy wants a girl that prances around nearly naked on the Internet to earn money to put her little sister through college?”

“Blue,” they all said in unison.

Lizzie smiled. “Yeah. I’m so freaking lucky. That man…God, my man is so…”

“Did you have a point?” Siena teased.

“Oh, right. Yes.” Lizzie looked at Addy. “I don’t know why you think you’re not wired for love, but I’ve known you a few months now, and you’re one of the most sensual, kindest people I know. You’re smart, funny, you don’t take crap from anyone, and you’re obviously gorgeous.” She wrinkled her nose. “Sensual? I don’t know if that’s the right word, but you’re it. The total package. You’re obviously wired for everything, but love won’t come until you let it.”

“It’s not like I don’t want love,” Addy said. “I mean, I’ve never found a man who made me want to see him more than once, but it’s not like I don’t want love. I’m not purposefully keeping myself closed off from it. I just don’t experience the same feelings that other people do.”

“So, you felt nothing when you were with Jake?” Siena asked.

“No. I mean, yes, I felt something.” Addy didn’t want to have this conversation. She was still struggling with what she felt and whether it was real or imagined.

A knock sounded at the bathroom door and they all turned. Gabriella opened it and her mother peeked her head inside.

“Addy, sweetheart, you have a visitor.”





Chapter Six





JAKE KNEW HE was taking a big risk by showing up at the dress shop where Addy and the girls were doing whatever girls did before a wedding, but he was bound and determined to set the record straight and let Addy know he was done playing by her rules. He stood in the front of the shop feeling like a cross between an animal in the zoo and a game show contestant. A group of Gabriella’s relatives were watching him from the other side of the shop, whispering and waving and giving him the thumbs-up. He smiled, waved, crossed his arms. Their eyes dropped to his biceps, and he uncrossed his arms, feeling oddly self-conscious.

He heard Addy’s determined footsteps fast approaching and his pulse kicked up. She looked beyond gorgeous in her tight little shorts, with her hair fluffing out behind her, but her squinty eyes and tense posture had him seriously questioning why he’d thought this was a good idea.

“Jake?” she said with hushed urgency. “What are you doing here?” She settled a hand on her hip and glared at him.

“Can we talk for a minute?” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder toward the door. “Alone?”

She glanced at the women, who turned away in mass, acting as if they weren’t hanging on their every word.

“Fine.” She walked past Jake and right out the door—and she kept on walking.

“Hey,” he said, falling into step beside her. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to talk.”

“I asked you to do me one favor.” She stared straight ahead as she crossed the dirt road. “One simple thing, Jake. All I asked was that you not make this awkward. And you show up at the dress shop?” She stalked down a path behind a row of shops and stormed up a grassy hill.

Jake followed, getting more annoyed by the second. “I’m done playing by your rules, Addy.”

She laughed. “My rules?”

“Yes, your rules. What did you expect me to do? You wouldn’t even look at me this morning.” At the top of the hill she stomped across the meadow. He kept pace with her. The sounds of the ocean faded, replaced with the sounds of her heavy breathing and their feet tromping through the long grass.

“Doesn’t that tell you something?” They were in the middle of the meadow, surrounded by tall trees on either side, the town too far behind them to see. “They know, okay?” Her eyes slung daggers with each venomous word. “Every woman in that shop knows that we were out all night going at it.”